IPL 2019: 5 players KKR must get in the trade window
The Kolkata Knight Riders did not fare very well in the IPL Players Auction 2018 and many experts were of the opinion that their squad lacked depth. They went all out to secure the contracts of Chris Lynn and Mitchell Starc by shelling out 9.6 crores and 9.4 crores respectively after retaining the services of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine ahead of the auction, which meant they spent 40 crores on just four players! Splurging money on foreign talent usually results in a lack of squad depth as it is the Indian players who form the crux of the team.
Furthermore, when Mitchell Starc was ruled out after picking up an injury in the build up to the tournament, the team management had a lot of problems on their plate. Another interesting decision that the KKR think-tank took was to let go of skipper Gautam Gambhir, who led them to two IPL titles. Though it was initially met with mixed reactions, the appointment of Dinesh Karthik as captain served the team well. KKR went on to finish third in IPL 2018.
The Kolkata franchise must make maximum use of the trading window before they sit down at the auction table later this year. They must bolster their squad so as to make sure they have the right players for various situations. The aim will be to build a well-balanced squad that can take the team two steps further than their third-place finish last season.
Another factor that the think tank must consider while building their squad is that the IPL might partly or fully be held at a foreign venue in 2019 because of the general elections in India. Here are 5 players who will bolster the KKR squad and help them win their third IPL title.
Mohammad Nabi
In the previous edition of the IPL, KKR lacked a quality off-spinner and a power hitter in the middle order. Both the aforementioned problems will be solved by the inclusion of the Afghan-international, Mohammad Nabi.
Nabi is a very handy bowler in the middle overs and is adept at curtailing the flow of runs. He focuses on the traditional off-spinner rather than trying too many variations and losing his line and length, which is the key to his success. He has 67 wickets from 65 T20 internationals at a splendid bowling average of 24.25.
He is a power hitter and can score quickly in the middle overs. Furthermore, he has represented SRH in two seasons of the IPL and played only 5 games overall. He will be looking for more game time and would welcome a move to KKR.